When microelectronic circuits are exposed to a pulse of intense radiation, such as a pulse of X-ray radiation from a nuclear explosion, charge displacements caused by photoemission of electrons can create a surge of current in a circuit that carries enough energy to damage sensitive microelectronic components.
Prior-art methods of measuring the energy of such currents included using active recording instrumentation to measure the time history of voltage across (or current through) a known resistance. When test conditions require that measurements be taken simultaneously at many points, the instrumentation requirements often fall between burdensome and overwhelming.
Hence there is a need for a small passive energy-measuring device that can be readily incorporated into the design of prototype circuits that are intended to be subjected to radiation testing.